Mini French Silk Pie

I can't even remember where I got this recipe from, but it was a mini french silk pie that I made for Valentine's Day one year.  We decided to eat at home and cook up some nice steaks, and I found these for dessert. 

Recipe:
1/4 cup butter softened
1/4 cup and 2 tbsp sugar
1 square unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
4 mini prepared pie shells

Cream butter and sugar together til fluffy.  Stir in vanilla and chocolate.  Add the egg and beat for 5 minutes until light.  Pour into cooked pie shells. Refrigerate, and top with whipped topping, chocolate shavings, and raspberries.

Pretzel Bites

I needed to bring an appetizer to a get together, and I found this pretzel bite recipe on pinterest.  It looked easy enough that if I went to the store, and the right kind of white roll dough was there, I was going to make it.  It's called Rhodes Texas White Dinner Rolls, and they came in a 12 pack.  I could chop each roll into 4 pieces, making for 48 bites - plenty! 

Recipe:
1 12 pack white dinner rolls, frozen
1 cup cinnamon suger (white sugar mixed with cinnamon to taste)
1/2 cup melted butter

Cut dinner rolls into 4s.  Let rise on a greased baking sheet for 30 minutes (cover with saran wrap coated with non-stick spray).  Once they rise, add them 10 at a time to a pot of boiling water, and toss for 1 minute.  Remove from water, let dry on paper towels/towel.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until top is golden.  Brush with melted butter.  Toss in ziploc bag full of cinnamon suger mixture until coated.  Remove and serve.  If you want, many combinations and dips can be made - salt and mustard, parmesan and marinara, garlic and cheese dip, etc.  For mine, I used a cream cheese mixture.    I simply mixed cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until I got the flavor I liked.

Cutting up the rolls

Boiling in water, drying on the paper towel/towel, and getting ready to go into the oven.

The topping/dip combinations.

The ones I made ended up just being cinnamon sugar and cream cheese dip.



They were a hit, and everyone was impressed that I made them.  Yum!

Joshua Tree, CA

In grad school, I took a class where we went on a trip to Joshua Tree National Park, to do some research and mapping.  Getting us all to the airport, on the plane, and to our camping site was a funny sight to see.  We had two tasks  - one to map the granitic-gneissic boundary of the pluton and metamorphic rock, and the other to map out some structural/geomorphological alluvial fans off the mountains.  We did a bunch of hiking around in the desert, and camped each night in the field.  My favorite part was mapping the pluton out.  Here are some photos.

An ocatillo cactus

Teddy Bear Choila cactus - I got my hand caught in one coming down a mountainside - ouch!

Our campsite

On our free day, we did a death march up a mountain, and then went and saw the oasis in the desert! 

A Joshua Tree

Chicken and Biscuits

Chicken and Biscuits - an easy weeknight meal.  I modified the recipe from here for my taste.  It turned out as a keeper, with the additions. I wanted carrots and peas, I used Greek yogurt as a bit healthier, and cooked my chicken first also.  No butter, cheese or milk either.

Recipe:
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup Greek yogurt plain
thawed peas and carrots from the freezer bag (about 1 cup)
cooked chicken (2-3 breasts)
Biscuits from the can

Mix soup, yogurt, peas, and chicken together.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add biscuits to top, bake at 375 degrees F until the top of the biscuits are golden brown (about 35-40 minutes).

Mixing in the peas and carrots

Adding the biscuits to the top

Tops are golden brown

Served



Chicken Enchilada Soup and Cornbread

Well, we have our first disaster recipe from pinterest!  I must say, I have had the chicken enchilada soup at Chili's, and this recipe from pinterst was freaking disgusting.  Blech.  I am removing it from my pins.  However, the cornbread was a delicious success, and I will make cornbread this way from now on. 

The recipe is super easy.

1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 box Juffy Yellow Cake Mix
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 eggs

Mix it up, bake in an 8x8 or 9x9 glass baking dish at 350 degrees F until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and there is a golden brown top.

Rig tour, PA

On the company jet, we can use electronics and internet and watch tv/videos from the moment we get in the plane til the moment we step off.  There is no "please turn off your electronics during take off" stuff to deal with.  Therefore, I get to do what I want, which includes taking a photo of us landing. 

Landing!

Another bonus is being able to get up whenever you feel like it, and the giant seats that recline forever and move in every direction.  Plus the gourmet meals they always serve.

While I was in PA, the point was to go to some of our sites.  I thought this was a neat photo.

And this one is my absolute favorite.  How cool!

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Pasta

This sounded delicious when I saw it on pinterest from here.  I made a few tweaks to the recipe, based on what I had available, and since I didn't want to take the time and roast my own red peppers.  I included that recipe below.

It turned out fantastically. 

Take your half and half, goat cheese, and herbs and heat 

Chop your red peppers in the food processor

Add it all together with some al dente pasta!

Recipe:

1 jar roasted red peppers
olive oil
garlic and onion
1 cup half and half
4 ounces goat cheese
parsley, basil, and oregano to taste
1/2 box fettuccine
salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, and add the onion and garlic til soft.  (in the meantime, put water pot on to boil for pasta). Add in the half and half, goat cheese, and herbs.  Heat until warm and cheese is melted.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Take red peppers and process in food processor, add to sauce.  Add fettuccinne to boiling water.  Continue to heat sauce until pasta is al dente.  Be careful not to burn the cream.  Drain pasta, toss with sauce.  Add parmesan if desired.